The Freshman Class 2024
This full-body portrait series is comprised of freshman fashion students in New York City either attending Parsons or FIT. I am photographing first-year students because they are in an extremely developmental stage of their lives. These students come to NYC with a dream and have big, sometimes unrealistic expectations. Their identity and aspirations are in flux. Their clothing is a testament to the audacity, playfulness, and vulnerability of youth as they navigate early adulthood and find their place within New York City. I want the viewer to ask where they saw themselves in their first semester of college.
Inspired by Irving Penn’s Small Trades photographs, I capture each student with a single medium-format negative against a backdrop that I handpainted. These students are used to taking many rapid-fire curated photos on their phones to show off their style. The permanence and timeless quality of a film photograph contrast with the fleeting characteristics of fashion content on social media.
As the barrier to entry to fashion has been reduced through social media, there are more emerging fashion brands than ever before. My photo series aims to remind the viewer of the volatile and diverse climate of the fashion industry. I aim to slow the fast-paced nature of social media, distilling each subject’s individuality into a single, authentic frame that the students can look back on later as their styles and tastes continue to change. Fashion is an integral part of my life and my subject’s lives. The series is my way of paying homage to fashion’s prominent role in my time in New York, where I have seen my style meaningfully evolve as I mature.
